Green Smoothie

I had gotten these green smoothie recipes a few months ago, and after trying one of them I have fallen in love. Jill had posted on facebook that she needed a way to get one of the kids their veggies. I have been telling Matt for awhile that since this tastes like a banana shake, it would be an easy way to act like it is a Hulk smoothie or something and get spinach into a kids diet.

I decided to try it because I don't like to drink coffee every morning, and after 8 months of completely avoiding it last year I have learned that sometimes drinking a beverage in the morning is just a ritual I enjoy. I usually drink coffee while checking my e-mails, so I have tried to replace it one or two days a week with this smoothie to really start my day off right. I also love it as a dessert! My boot camp instructor gave me both of these smoothie recipes, and while I LOVE the banana shake taste of the first one, I am too nervous/lazy to try the second one. Kristen says she makes them all the time (thanks for letting us know how you stay so healthy Kristen ;) )...so here are the recipes for those of us not in the staying fit/physical business. Jill, you may repay me with the cinnamon roll recipe...you know, to go with my green smoothie in the mornings! ;)

Easy Green Smoothie:

Put in a blender...

1 banana

2-3 handfuls of raw spinach

2 cups of almond milk (the vanilla almond milk is the best)

blend it until smooth. 

then add 1-2 cups of ice depending on how icy you want it and blend it again.

*You can put in a little protein powder if you have it to make it more well balanced. (I don't, but Matt does after working out)

* If your banana is not ripe enough or if you want it sweeter add a little honey (I use local to help my allergies) and it is perfect.

This makes 1 serving...but Matt and I can usually split it

It only takes 2 minutes to make. Easy and so good. 

"Legit" Green Smoothie (in Carrie's words):

Chop up the following items and put into a blender...

1 cup of almond milk (can substitute hemp milk if you have a nut allergy, or you could even substitute with water)

1 grapefruit (just trim the majority of the outer peel off with a knife)

1/4 cucumber

2 handfuls of spinach (the more the better for you)

1/4 of avocado

teaspoon of preferred sweetener (stevia, sugar, green leaf, etc)

1/2 lime (juice squeezed)

1 large leaf of kale (optional) Kale is full of good stuff but does make the smoothie not taste quite as good. I would recommend adding this later. First just start with the other ingredients and get that down.

Blend all together...

Add ice (as much as desired 4-5 cubes per smoothie works for me) 

Blend again

I usually double the recipe and make 2 smoothies. If you don't have a very good blender, blend the ingredients as you add a few at time 

You can play with the amounts as desired but that is what works for me. It doesn't have to be exact. It's such a great way to start your day. I often cut up everything the night before and put it in the blender and put it in the fridge overnight without blending it. Then in the morning I just add the almond milk and blend it. That way I don't run out of time in the morning to get my day started right. 

Happy Holidays!

Nikki

Happy Thanksgiving Pumpkin

For my first Gluten-Free Thanksgiving, I realized that there would be no pumpkin pie for me unless I take matters into my own hands.

I once read that pumpkin pie doesn't have to look good, just taste good. I am living by that philosophy...I found ingredients for a Gluten-Free crust and the Libby's can recipe for the filling is gluten-free. Making the crust was easier than I thought, except for the filling spilling on the edges and burning a little. The pie tasted just like I remember them tasting at Thanksgiving so I was pretty proud of myself. (The recipe for the dough is below...but this cannot be done last minute as it has to be put in the fridge over night-from glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com)

I made more dough for a second pie tonight. Hopefully this one looks a little better. I will be taking this pie to Lafayette, where we will be having Thanksgiving at Matt's parents. We have Thanksgiving thursday, a get-together dinner Friday with some friends, and brunch on Sunday with the besties. I plan on packing on the pounds haha... I am trying to make this feel as close to an Oklahoma Thanksgiving with the family as possible. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Nikki

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Dough- Glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com

1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
3 tablespoons sweet rice flour (I cannot find, so I omit it :))
3 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon strong cinnamon (I use Saigon cinnamon from World Spice Merchants)
8 tablespooons (or, one stick) cold butter
1 large egg
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 ice-cold water, or enough to make the dough stick together

Mix together all the dry ingredients, including the sugar and cinnamon. Cut the butter into little pieces, about 1/2-inch thick and drop the pieces into the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or fork, meld the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter has crumbled into pea-sized pieces.

Make a well in the dry ingredients. Drop the egg and apple cider vinegar in, then stir them in, gently, with a fork, stirring from the center out. Once they are incorporated into the dry ingredients, slowly drizzle the ice-cold water into the mixture, a little at a time, then stirring to see if it has become dough yet. You do not want this dough to be too wet. Add water only until it all coheres together.

At this point, drop the ball of dough onto a large piece of parchment paper. (Prepare this ahead, unless you want to wipe dough off the box of parchment paper later!) Place another piece of parchment paper, the same size, on top of the dough. Gently, smoosh the dough outward, equally in all directions, until it is a thick, round cake of dough, about the size of a pie plate.

Refrigerate the ball of dough, for as long as you can stand. Ideally, you would prepare the dough in the evening and refrigerate overnight. Take the dough out of the refrigerator at least twenty minutes before you want to work with it.

Leave the dough in the parchment-paper sandwich and roll it out. By rolling it, gently, between the pieces of parchment paper, you will not need to add more flour to the mix. Roll it out as thin as you can, then strip the top piece of parchment paper off the dough. Gently, lay your favorite pie plate on top of the dough, then flip the whole thing over. The dough should sag into the pie plate. You can crimp the edges at this point. If some of the dough falls off the sides, don't worry. Simply re-attach the pieces to the crust-to-be by pressing in with your fingers.

You can pre-bake the pie crust, if you like. With this pumpkin pie, however, I just pour the pumpkin filling directly in and bake it immediately. It works well.

Oh, and for the filling? Just the recipe off the Libby's pumpkin puree can. It works every time.